Imagine a card set where almost each and every card in the set is a smoking-hot PSA 8 Near-Mint to Mint monster. Now ponder that the only exceptions to that rule are two dozen cards that land above that range, including 22 PSA 9 Mint examples and a pair of PSA 10s. The set ranks No. 19 on the PSA Set Registry with an average grade of 8.27. In an important vintage Topps issue with the likes of Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull and the Ken Dryden Rookie card on the roster, that means this is a collectible treasure that is almost literally unimprovable. The realization that the PSA 9 Mint subgroup includes that aforementioned Dryden Rookie card, and the No. 70 Gordie Howe is not too shabby either. Here’s the breakdown of the cards above PSA 8: PSA 8.5 Near-Mint to Mint-Plus – No. 51; PSA 9 Mint (22) – No. 5, 13, 19, 23, 43, 45 Dryden Rookie, 47, 58, 60, 62, 69, 70 Howe, 73, 84, 85, 91, 105, 112, 115 Hodge, 121, 126 and 128; PSA 10 (2) – No. 17 and 41. Follow this link to view the 1971 Topps Hockey complete set on the PSA Set Registry.

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